The State of Video Games with Matthew Ball – Part One
•February 19, 2026
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Why It Matters
These developments underscore persistent supply-chain and funding dynamics shaping hardware and live-service economics, signal consolidation and labor tensions across major publishers, and highlight investor and player scrutiny that can rapidly alter a studio’s prospects.
Summary
The episode previews a two-part interview with industry analyst Matthew Ball on the state of video gaming in 2026 and rounds up major industry developments: forecasts of continued U.S. market growth, Steam Deck OLED shortages tied to DRAM and storage constraints, and Sony’s State of Play unveiling numerous AAA and indie titles. Other highlights include Riot’s downsizing on its League fighting game, Supercell’s CEO warning about lack of mobile innovation, Remedy appointing a live-service-focused CEO, Sega’s $200 million Roio write-down alongside the breakout success of Arc Raiders, and Ubisoft’s mixed quarter amid strikes over restructuring. The show also revisits Wildlife’s Highguard launch, subsequent layoffs and player backlash, and the revelation of early Tencent funding that intensified controversy.
Original Description
Industry analyst and advisor Matthew Ball has released his annual presentation, which this year asks (and answers) the question: if video games are at an all-time high, why are so many game companies still struggling?
To mark its release, Matthew joins us for a bumper interview around all things video games. In part one of our interview, Ball discusses China and Roblox problem, the console challenge, the loss of game funding, and the missed opportunity with older players.
Meanwhile, Chris recaps some of the biggest stories, including Circana's prediction about the market in 2026, Steam Deck OLED becoming unavailable and more news in the on-going discussion around Highguard.
00:00 Intro
03:44 More Highguard
08:27 Circana estimates
10:45 Steam Deck OLED
12:31 Matthew Ball Interview
16:40 Game funding
24:02 Console concerns
28:27 Roblox
31:35 China
40:23 Non-core gaming countries
44:58 PC & console games on mobile
51:47 Older gamers
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